EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs to discuss Ethiopia and Ukraine on 19 April

The main topics to be discussed at the April meeting of the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs are the situation in Ethiopia and Ukraine. Finland’s representative at the informal video conference will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto. The Ministers will also hold an informal exchange with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba.

In connection with the exchange of views on Ethiopia, Minister Haavisto will give a briefing on his second visit as an Envoy of the European Union in the beginning of April, this time to Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The work done by Minister Haavisto is an important part of the EU efforts to end hostilities and acts of war in the Tigray region. In addition, the EU must continue its support to find peaceful solutions in the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and related to the border conflict between Ethiopia and Sudan.

The discussion on Ukraine will focus on the recent escalation of tensions due to increased military presence of Russia close to the conflict area in eastern Ukraine and in the Crimean Peninsula illegally annexed by Russia. The objective for Finland is to ensure the EU’s solid support to Ukraine and its sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, and to actions that aim to ease military tensions in the region. Among the topics to be discussed is the reform process in Ukraine. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has invited the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Kuleba to an informal exchange with the Foreign Ministers of the Member States, to be held in connection with the conference.

The current affairs to be discussed at the conference also include Mozambique, Belarus, Myanmar, Georgia, EU-India relations, and the situation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) of Iran.

Inquiries:

Turo Mattila, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 613
Matti Nissinen, European Correspondent, tel. +358 295 351 780
The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format [email protected].